Simi Official to Protest Budget Squeeze With Turnips

Trying to squeeze $1 billion out of cities to balance the state budget is like, well, trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip.

That’s the message Simi Valley Councilwoman Sandi Webb will carry to Sacramento next week--along with 1,000 pounds of turnips.

Webb is leading a drive to haul a truckload of the purple-and-white vegetables to the state capital to protest the potential squeeze on cities.

“What we’re saying is that taxpayers are blood-dry,” Webb said. “They’re not only being taxed to death. They’re out of jobs.

“So we’re going to tell the Legislature, ‘Here’s some turnips, try getting some blood out of these.’ ”

State lawmakers have proposed withholding $1 billion in tax revenues normally given to cities to help offset an $11-billion budget deficit.

If the proposal is approved, Ventura County’s 10 cities stand to lose more than $23 million. Simi Valley’s share would total $4 million.

“We’re going to have to raise taxes and fees to maintain our level of services,” Webb said. “So we’ll take the blame . . . when it’s the state’s tax policies that got us into this mess.”

Webb and Aaron Starr, president of the Ventura County Libertarian Party, share credit for organizing the protest.

With little cajoling, a Salinas vegetable distributor agreed to donate half a ton of rotten turnips to the cause. There weren’t enough turnips available in Ventura County, Starr said.

“They’re out of season,” he said.

Starr said he and Webb have secured a dump truck from a local construction contractor and have chartered a bus to haul any city official willing to pay the $89 round-trip fare to Sacramento.

So far, only Bakersfield officials seem interested.

“I think it’s great,” Bakersfield Mayor Clarence Medders said. “That’s one way to get our message across.”

But Medders said council members just learned about the protest and he was not sure whether any officials will actually participate.

“If nothing else, we’ll send some turnips,” he said.

Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton said he thought that Webb’s idea was “cute,” and said he hopes that she finds people who have the time to go along with her.

“I think Sacramento understands the problem,” he said. “I’m just not sure they know what to do about it.”

Webb said the bus is scheduled to leave Reseda at 7 a.m. Wednesday and, she hopes, pick up city officials along the way. The bus and turnip truck are scheduled to arrive in Sacramento at 4 p.m.

Webb said she plans to hold a rally on the steps of the state capital before handing out turnips to all the legislators.

“I’m going to give a big bag of them to the governor,” she said.

Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) said she doesn’t mind the protest as long as the group doesn’t dump the turnips on the capital grounds.

“We can’t afford to clean it up,” she said.